New feature adds links to your search ads to generate user engagement and more conversions
Editor's note: This is another in a series of posts by members of the Yahoo!-Bing Preferred Partner Program, a group of leading SEM technology experts who bring innovative search campaign management platforms and services to our advertisers. Acquisio is part of that program, and here Marc Poirer, Acquisio's co-founder and CMO, talks about a new feature on the network called sitelink extensions---and why advertisers should seriously considering using them.
Sitelink extensions were recently introduced to the paid-search offering on the Yahoo! Bing Network. It enables digital advertisers to create a larger footprint on search results, with the aim of generating a higher click-through rate to increasingly relevant links.
Sitelink extensions will be available through both Bing and Yahoo! search results---right now, they're only available for advertisers in the U.S., but expansion is expected in the near future.
What are sitelink extensions?
Sitelink extensions are links placed at the bottom of your ads that link to specific areas of your website. For example, a game developer may want to link to specific games that they offer to quickly drive users to the areas of the website that are most relevant to them. And because you can add 10 extensions for each ad, you're getting that many more opportunities for clicks.
Early results
According to the official announcement, advertisers who took part in the beta testing phase of this endeavor "experienced an increased click-through rate of 15%-25% compared to a standard search ad without sitelink extensions -- many did much better than that."
These are promising results, and with the ability to help drive enhanced CTR in concert with higher ROI, making use of this ability is something that every PPC pro should be looking into.
Why they work
Sitelink extensions can be summed up with three R's: real estate, readability, and relevance.
- Real Estate: You get a larger presence on the search results page, giving your ad a chance to be seen before the others.
- Readability: Sitelink extensions help you to break down your offerings into more readable chunks, with elements that have the ability to attract the clicks that you want to the areas of your site that you most want to lead them to.
- Relevance: Sitelink extensions add one more layer of relevance to your ads. Because they are set at the campaign level, you can have multiple ads that feature these site links, each of which can be tested to find the winning formula.
Why you should get started now
At this point, sitelink extensions are brand-new to the network, and there aren't a lot of advertisers who are taking advantage of them. This means that early adopters may gain an edge by covering a lot more ground before their competitors make the change.
With the holidays right around the corner, you can put this strategy into play and give shoppers added incentive to click on your ads during what is the most important time of year for retail marketers.
